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Sponges & Sea Squirts(Porifera and Ascidians)

Ascidians (Sea Squirts)

Species Clavelina Moluccensis:The Clavelina Moluccensis, also known as the Blue Sea Squirt is a type of filter feeder. This is not one animal, but a colony of zooids wth translucent white bodies and three blue spots inside. Most commonly sighted during winter and spring.

Species Botrylloides Leachi: The Botrylloides leachi is a globally widespread species found in the waters around the UK through to Australia! They develop on top of rocks or other beds and are known as an encrusting species. They occur in a variety of colours and have confused scientists for years. - with still much to learn about this species.

Species Botrylloides Perspicuus:The Botrylloides perspicuus is a species of sea squirt that varies in colour. Its small zooids grow together to form thick encrusting slabs like fingers and grow into thick colonies.

Species Botrylloides Magnicoecum:The Botrylloides magnicoecum sea squirt (ascidian) is a personal favourite with beautiful creams, yellows and browns, They can form large colonies and in Sydney can be seen in a number of sites attached to the reef. The individual zooids are very small and share an exhalent siphon in the centre of each lobe.

Species Clavelina Meridionalis:The Clavelina meridionalis is a type of ascidian (sea squirt) that lives alone and can reproduce alone too (being both male and female). The head is as long as the stalk, they are mostly transparent but with a beautiful blue coloring and a stark yellow marking on the top. They are found in many places in Sydney.

Species Clavelina Pseudobaudinensis:The Clavelina Pseudobaudinensis is a type of sea squirt with transparent zooids. These animals share a common base and grow around short stalks.

Species Herdmania Momus:The Herdmania Momus is seen on most reefs in Sydney and across New South Wales. Entire walls can be covered in them. They have a red colour and have an opening the size of a typical bottle top. Their shape is much like a heart with two siphons extruding from the body. They are often buried within the reef living with many other animals.

Species Polcitor Giganteus:This animal is known as the Giant Jelly Ascidian and the zooids can be either white or orange.They are seen in many places across Sydney.

Species Pyura Spinifera:The Pyura Spinifera is a beautiful ascidian (sea squirt) that can be white, yellow, orange, pink and purple in colour. They are also known as sea tulips. They have a long stalk, protuding the reef, with a large flower-like head. This sea squirt animal is almost almost seen living with another species of ascidian at their base (called the Cnemidocarpa pedata).

Species Svcozoa Cerebriformis:The Sycozoa cerebriformis (also known as the Brain Ascidian) is a type of sea squirt that varies from red, pink and orange in colour.They are a folded colony of zooids living in double rows that resemble a brain in appearance.In Sydney they are seen only at certain dive sites.

Porifera (Sponges)

Species Aplysina Lendenfeldi:The Aplysina lendenfeldi is a type of sponge (porifera) with long cigar like stalks coloured yelow to purple.They have short stalks and a large opening at the upper end where they draw water in and push out from the numerous pores along the stalks, as they filter the water and eat the incoming food particles.

Species Darwiella Sp.The Darwiella sp. is a type of sponge (porifera) that encrusts the reef.

Finger SpongesThis is a common type of sponge that come in many colours and shapes.

Species Holopsamma Laminaefavosa: Also known as the honeycomb sponge this porifera is fairly common in Sydney and can grow quite large.

Species Mycale Mirabillis:Another type of sponge seen in Sydney that grows fairly flat and wide and that exhales via "bullet holes" that are arranged on the narrow side of the growing sponge.